Mission in Japan April 2016 Special Prayer Request

Gary & Naoko in Japan Special Prayer Request: April 2016 Dear friends, family and partners of Jesus' mission here in Japan! We hope this update finds you well. This is a shorter update than usual with two very specific prayer requests. Tohoku Vision Trip We have been planning another vision and prayer trip to Tohoku that will happen from 7 to 12 May. We really wanted to make sure another trip happened before the baby arrives! Naoko will not be coming on this trip, but I will be leading a team of between 4 to 6 guys. This time, we will focus on the large cities in the very north of the region- Aomori, Akita and Iwate. We are also planning on visiting a church in Sendai, the largest city, as well as visiting a town called Kamaishi which we visited in 2011 after the tsunami. The town has come a long way since then and will in fact be a host of the 2019 Rugby World Cup! We want to meet with missionaries there to see how we can partner with them during those games. Please be praying for safety and for God's guidance, specifically about where to focus on long-term. We will send an update after the trip :) Finances Firstly, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been financially supporting us up until now. It has been a huge blessing to us, and we couldn't be here in Japan doing this work without it! You have humbled us with your generosity! As you know, in YWAM, we live and work trusting in God's financial provision, primarily through the Body of Christ. This is to free us to focus on ministry - to spread God's kingdom here in Japan. We try not to draw attention to our financial situation, but we felt like we need to do this now. Over the past six months, it has become apparent that our monthly support has increasingly been unable to cover our usual expenses. This is a mix of the decreasing value of the Pound, hospital expenses during pregnancy and purchasing items to get ready for the new family member. We have been able to afford everything, praise God, because of one-off donations and some savings. Looking ahead, we anticipate our expenses rising further due to the new baby, a rise in YWAM staff fees (used to help pay for the running of the YWAM Tokyo base) and other items we would likely need pioneering a new YWAM location up north (such as a vehicle!). We have prayerfully came up with a new target figure which we are having faith for: around £1,750 per month. Currently, we receive around £926. This would mean we are believing for another £824. Please join us in praying that we can reach our target. And please ask God whether this is something He would like you to be a part of. If you have any questions, please let us know! If you would like details on how to give, please click the button below, or get in touch :) We will keep you up to date with how we are doing! You can also find updated numbers with breakdown of our finances here.